Norwich should shell out more than Leeds United’s £10.5m to sign this 11-goal striker in the summer – Here is why the move would be a masterstroke

Why Norwich City should raid Spartak Moscow for Ze Luis in the summer?

According to last month’s report from Championat, Leeds United had tabled an eye-popping £10.5million offer for Spartak Moscow forward Ze Luis in January. However, a deal never materialised and Ze Luis has since stayed with Spartak Moscow.

The Spartak Moscow striker, 28, has been in fine form this season bagging 11 goals so far this season but earlier this month expressed his desire to play in England. That being said, Norwich City should make an attempt to sign Ze Luis in the summer.

Norwich City continue to gallop towards a surprise promotion to the Premier League and Daniel Farke’s men are showing no signs of slowing down. A 3-2 win against fellow promotion rivals Bristol City was the latest in a long line of fantastic results and smooth displays, meaning they proudly sit at the top of the Championship table.

Very few might have fancied the Canaries to be at top of the table of the standings after 34 games but to be in that position, Farke finds himself in a remarkable achievement at this stage of the season. With Norwich City clear favourites to achieve promotion, Farke should start planning for the next season from now on.

Premier League football is an entirely different kettle of fish than the Championship, so proper planning and execution would be required from the Norwich hierarchy. Farke needs to plot the right profile of players in the transfer window, the players that could come in and make a telling difference to the squad.

Just like how Teemu Pukki has done for the Canaries after arriving on a free transfer from Brondby last summer. Pukki has been a revelation in the Championship, scoring 23 goals in 31 league games till date. Even though the likes of Jordan Rhodes and Dennis Srbeny have ably supported him, the Finnish striker would need some serious competition if Norwich are to excel in the Premier League.

That’s one of the prime reasons why the Canaries should sign Ze Luis. The Cape Verdean has enjoyed his best goal-scoring season for the Russian club so far. The 28-year-old is a fox in the box, waiting for the opposition to commit any mistake so that he can pounce.

He can be a nightmare for the defenders due to his blistering pace and acceleration, whilst his excellent aerial prowess makes Ze Luis a threat from set-pieces. Furthermore, the Cape Verde international possesses an abundance of quality in his game and has the potential to change a game on his own.

Based on Ze Luis’s profile and age, Norwich should not leave any stone unturned in bagging his signature this summer.

Bournemouth will not regret signing this 9-time capped international ace to solve goalkeeping woes – Agreed?

Bournemouth Opinion: Cherries should move for Jack Butland this summer

According to Sky Sports, Bournemouth have joined the race to sign Jack Butland from Stoke City in the summer, with manager Eddie Howe keen to bolster his options between the sticks.

Butland has been in impressive form for the Potters in the Championship this season and has managed 14 clean sheets from 38 appearances.

A youth product of Birmingham City, Butland spent time on loan at Cheltenham Town before being snapped up by Stoke in 2013. The Englishman enjoyed fruitful loan spells at Leeds United and Derby County before establishing himself as Stoke’s No.1 between the sticks.

He hasn’t looked back since then and has taken his career to greater heights, earning 37 clean sheets in 124 appearances across all competitions.

A regular for England at all youth levels, Butland has also won 9 caps at the senior international level and represented the Three Lions at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

However, with Stoke looking set for another season in the Championship, Butland might eye an exit in the summer to join a Premier League club.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has preferred the 39-year-old Artur Boruc between the sticks in the Premier League since the turn of the year.

Asmir Begovic started off as the No.1 following an impressive season last time around but the former Chelsea man has been relegated to bench duty since January. Towards the end of the January transfer window, the Sun claimed that Begovic was not in Howe’s plans for a first-team spot and the Cherries were willing to listen to offers for the 31-year-old.

Boruc has done a decent job between the sticks but Bournemouth’s interest in Jack Butland definitely makes a lot of sense. The 26-year-old is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the country and the Cherries would strike gold by getting their hands on the coveted shot-stopper.

Standing at 6ft. 5 inches, Butland has just the ideal height for a goalkeeper, with his long arms giving him a good reach to keep out shots from all ranges.

The Englishman boasts of razor-sharp reflexes and excels with his composure in one-on-one situations, whilst his ball handling is also of the highest quality. The 26-year-old communicates well with his defenders and always seems to have things under control inside his penalty area.

Butland has made a total of 104 saves from 38 appearances in the Championship this term, 52 of which have come from inside the penalty area including 5 from within the six-yard box.

Bournemouth have enjoyed a decent run this season but they should look to build on it and aim for better things next season. They don’t have the best of defensive records, having conceded 56 goals from 31 games and Butland’s presence between the sticks should help them improve massively.

Bournemouth’s goalkeeping crisis would be solved if Eddie Howe signs any of these 3 shot-stoppers – Agreed?

Bournemouth Opinion: 3 ideal replacements for 39-year-old Artur Boruc

Bournemouth were one the Premier League season’s first-half surprise packages as they were able to really shell-shock some of the bigger clubs with the assistance of free-scoring, in-demand striker Callum Wilson.

Other than this, youngster’s have Ryan Fraser, Adam Smith and David Brooks have stepped up to the plate for Eddie Howe’s dynamic side this season. While everything looks in order at the Vitality, closer inspection provided various flaws.

While there are still additions required in both defence and midfield, the most alarming situation is that of the goalkeeper at this club.

The Cherries currently boast two Premier League veterans in Artur Boruc and Asmir Begovic. Reports from The Sun are now linking them with a move for Jack Butland of Stoke City.

While Boruc is 39, Begovic is still only 31. However, neither of them have performed up to the required standard and going into next season, it would be smart on Bournemouth’s part to sign a young goalkeeper who can nail down the starting role at the Vitality.

Here are the three keepers Bournemouth should target who could easily take over as number one at the Vitality:

Jack Butland

The Stoke City goalkeeper has ample experience playing Premier League football and is still only 26-years-old. He has the potential to return to the top-flight and perform at the highest level for many years to come.

Having played regular football in the Championship even this season, the Englishman has notched up 14 clean sheets from his 36 league appearances and also boasts a clean slate in terms of bookings. His composure makes him the ideal candidate to replace Artur Boruc.

Joe Hart

The former English international keeper had a largely unsuccessful spell in Italy when he made the switch to Torino on loan from Manchester City. As it became clear that his time at the Etihad was over, he moved on to Sean Dyche’s Burnley last summer.

The 31-year-old has kept 4 clean sheets from his 19 league appearances this season but his regularity in the squad has been limited due to the stiff competition that he faces from Tom Heaton. He still has many good years ahead of him and Bournemouth could result in Hart’s return to former glory.

Benjamin Lecomte

This Montpellier goalkeeper has been in fine form in Ligue in this season and has really come to the fore over the last few years. A product of the same club as Arsenal star Matteo Guendouzi, the former Lorient man is still only 27-years-old.

He joined Montpellier in the summer of 2017 and has conceded only 34 goals from his 28 league games this season. Having kept 9 clean sheets along the way as well, Eddie Howe needn’t think twice about making a move for this talented French star.

Who is this 19-year-old Championship wonder kid being surveyed by Premier League giants? All you need to know

Premier League Opinion: Scout Report – Bilal Brahimi

Middlesbroughare a club that have always been renowned for producing some of the best young talents that English football has seen. Their Rockliffe Park Academy has a long history for only developing the brightest, most talented players.

Players such as Lee Cattermole, Stuart Downing and James Morrison are living legacies of this famous football clubs. Even now, their production quality certainly hasn’t dropped. One player from their academy is now turning heads even at Premier League level.

Bilal Brahimi is a 19-year-old French left-winger who currently features mainly for the Boro U23 side although he did make a first-team appearance earlier this season. His exploits have attracted interest from both Liverpool and Newcastle United, as suggested by Hull Live.

Background

Brahimi was born in Paris, France on the 14th of March in 2000 and that’s where stayed until 2017 when he finally made the switch to a professional football clubs.

After spending time with multiple amateur clubs within Paris, he was signed up by Leixoes who play in the Portuguese 2nd division.

It was here that he was scouted by Middlesbrough and
within a year of being in Portugal, he was given the opportunity to spread his
wings as a footballer at the famous Middlesbrough academy. Since then, there’s
been no stopping him as he’s turned into one of their brightest young
prospects.

Since he mostly represents the U23 side, he plays in
the Premier League 2 and has scored once and assisted once in his 13 league
appearances this season. His lone first team appearance came in August when he
came on in an EFL Cup against Rochdale.

Style of Play

He is a tricky winger who loves to get on the ball but
also displays amazing unselfishness in the final third. His ambition to pick
out teammates is matched by his ability as the eventuality of a misplaced pass
from the youngster is rare.

Quite direct in his approach, he has the right
attributes to develop into a tricky Premier League winger given the right
training and nurturing. All this added to the fact that he also plays as a
striker, means that he’s effectively guaranteed a future in the English game.

The Way Forward

Brahimi turned 19 just a week ago and pushing a player of such youth into making a difficult decision could have serious effects on his growth as a player and hence it would be best for him to stay at Middlesbrough for at least another season.

With that said, when clubs like Liverpool or Newcastle
United come calling, irrespective of who you are, it will be really difficult
to turn them down and with the right intentions, he can be turned into a
superstar in the coming years.